Bonjour Tristesse

Its hard to imagine Sagan was only 18 when writing this story, as the language is beautiful! I would definitely recommend this short read!

Very good book ! Although it is her first book, it is my favorite.

good-bye sorrow? yeah, right. brutal in it's careless cruelity- sparse, precise, and written in a language belying sagan's young age, bonjour tristesse is a twisted little french treasure you can easily read in an afternoon. a delight.

Francoise Sagan is a brilliant French writer, who here has written an intriguing novel about a young lady's 'coming-of-age' while on Holiday by the sea. What I appreciate about Sagan's works most of all is her style. She writes very subtly, almost tenderly at times, but what comes out of these impressions is incredible clarity into the inner human workings ans spirit. She deals with huge and incredibly moving emotional matters and life-changing experiences with the grace of an unassuming, yet very beautiful bouquet. Perhaps only French writers writing in French can do this (but this English translation maintains some of the original affect). It's like the hidden waters of the subconscious are feeding Sagan's stories, and especially 'Bonjour Tristesse' with eternal messages about life, love, fear, uncertainty, and Destiny. The parvenu paramour in 'Bonjour Tristesse' finds love without becoming jaded by the experience. Yet, she leaves us with elegaic afterthoughts. This is just brilliant literature.